Having grown up in south central Los Angeles, I cannot say that I have always been an gun enthusiast.  I used to think guns were only used for shooting people down in the streets.  I never wanted to own a gun.  Nor did I think anyone should.  However, when I got old enough to find a little trouble in the projects, my mother shipped me out and I spent a year in Beaufort, SC with my uncle who was a retired Drill Instructor in the Marine Corps (Semper Fi).  Among the many things my uncle taught me, perhaps the most lasting was a love and healthy respect for guns.  That’s right, I’m a pistol-packin’ preacher.  I am very proud of my gun collection.  I also enjoy hunting and shooting of all kinds.  And yes, I am opposed to the proposed ban on so-called “assault weapons” currently under consideration.

Unfortunately, the pejorative term, “assault weapon” is rarely challenged, even though no one is able to define the words.  The ignorance and deception on this issue is deplorable.  For example, politicians and reporters use the term “High Powered Assault Rifle” to describe the weapons in the picture above.  However, what those who use the term will never tell  you (and what every gun enthusiast knows) is that a 30-06 hunting rifle is far more “powerful” than the scary looking AK-47, or the increasingly popular AR15.  But it doesn’t sound sexy to say somebody went on a killing spree with a “High Powered Hunting Rifle”.  Besides, nobody wants to start a media campaign against hunting rifles (at least not yet... one step at a time).

So what does this have to do with homosexual marriage?  I’m glad you asked.  I find it quite ironic that the same people who argue that California did the unthinkable when they voted to “take away rights from a group of Californians” are among those clamoring to take away the rights of gun owners.    When addressing the passage of Prop 8 in California, Shannon Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) argued:

“Our Constitution is based on the principle that majorities must respect minority rights. But if a majority can change the Constitution to take away a fundamental right from one group, then it can take away fundamental rights from any group. Our government will have changed from one that respects minority rights to one in which the power of the majority is unlimited.”

I wonder if Ms. Minter would apply her statement to “assault weapon” owners. Aren’t people who own “High Powered Assault Weapons” a minority in the US?  Not to mention the fact that the right to bear arms is expressly acknowledged in the U.S. Constitution and homosexual sodomy (which kills and/or injures far more people in the US every year than “assault weapons”) is nowhere to be found! 

The clips below should help the uninformed get a better handle on this highly emotional (and highly political) issue.  In short, politicians and reporters lie.  They use the nebulous term “assault weapons” to paint a picture of Antonio Montana spraying the scene with machine gun fire while yelling, “Say hello to my little friend”(a little Scarface reference never hurt anybody).  It’s one thing to oppose gun ownership; it’s quite another to use senseless tragedies to lie to the public in an effort to undermine the Constitution.  Especially when you ignore the fact that criminals don’t pay attention to gun bans, or the fact that dozens, if not hundreds of lives are saved every year by conscientious gun owners.  And for you pacifists out there, I leave you with the words of Jesus, as he sent his disciples off to preach the good news:

“let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.” (Luke 22:36 ESV)

VB